


love me now and again

by owilde



Series: smalltown girls (80's violentine) [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 80's, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Love Confessions, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 09:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16038125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owilde/pseuds/owilde
Summary: “So, when you’re watching my games, all you two talk about is how hot I am?”“Nah,” Violet said. “Sometimes, we also talk about how hot everyone else is.”Clementine snatched a pair of sweatpants and turned around, lifting a brow. “Should I be jealous?”





	love me now and again

**Author's Note:**

> Just how many 80's AUs can I write? We'll never know. Tempted to turn this one into a series of one-shots, though.
> 
> Title taken from Gazebo's "I Like Chopin". I got inspired to include the baseball bit because I just read [this fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16030535) by [lezz1e](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lezz1e/pseuds/lezz1e). It was very good, I highly recommend.

Rain was beating down against the roof, a never-ending drizzle that echoed around the house. It had been raining for a week or so now, on and off – they’d gotten letters warning them about potential flooding if it continued on like this. The lake near their house was brimming at its edges already; Clementine had witnessed the steady rise of the water levels each day she walked past it to get to school.

The sound of the rain was almost like a comfort to her as she remained cooped up in her room upstairs, confined under house arrest. It had gone dark outside already – she flicked her reading lamp on, and it buzzed to life with a slight flicker, casting the desk in yellow light.

It was so stupid. She’d never been under house arrest before, had never really accomplished anything to warrant getting punished over – until she’d met Violet. And even now, she hadn’t _done_ anything, had she? She’d just wanted to hold Violet’s hand, and fuck what anybody else thought. But James effing Johnson just _had_ to report to the principal that he’d seen them kissing under the bleachers, and the principal just _had_ to call her parents.

_We’re not mad, honey, we just don’t quite understand. Does this mean you’re a… well, you know?_

Clementine didn’t know what it meant. Or what she was. And she didn’t think it really mattered, either. All she had to know was that she liked Violet, and Violet liked her, and they had a good thing going on.

But now she was forbidden from seeing her outside of school for a month. She was pretty sure her parents didn’t know what to do with the new information they’d been given, and in order to do anything at all, they’d scrambled to give her the mildest restrictions they could think of. Clementine didn’t think they genuinely wanted her to stop seeing Violet – if they did, they would’ve told her. Or so she figured.

The same didn’t go for Violet’s parents, who’d put her under lock and key and told her she couldn’t talk to Clementine at all – Clementine, who was evil and had converted their nice daughter into something sinful, all by herself.

Violet had told her all of this as they’d skipped Biology together, a week after getting found out. Then she’d said it was pretty fucking amazing of Clementine to apparently be so attractive, she’d single-handedly corrupted Violet’s innocence just by existing. Clementine had shoved her gently, and then dragged her in for a kiss.

Clementine smiled absently at the memory. They’d gone walking around the forest near their school. Violet’s shoes and socks had gotten soaked, and then she’d caught a cold. It’d been worth it, though – there was now a tree with their names scratched on its side with Violet’s pocket knife.

In the light of the table lamp, Clementine opened her drawers and pulled out her sketchbook. It was an old one – the cover was filled with brightly colored, round flowers, clearly marketed towards children. It had traveled with her for eight years, ever since she’d turned nine. It was for special things – the meaning of which had shifted around throughout the years.

She flipped the book open. The first few pages were crude drawings of their old cat, then her parents, then Clementine’s favorite teddy bear. As the pages went on, more and more things popped up – her first crush’s profile, drawn from memory; dumb covers for her mix tapes; their old house, the one she still sometimes missed.

After she’d turned fifteen, and had bought a camera with the money she’d saved from working at the local hardware store, the pages had become filled with taped polaroid pictures. Her parents again, their neighbor, Javi, a Fourth of July grill party in their back yard, complete with a shot of the fireworks, bright red against black.

And then more recent ones, the ones that made her smile the most. Louis, making a funny face. Marlon after he’d agreed to let Brody test make-up on him. A series of shots of Violet – her flipping the camera off, then grinning widely at Clementine, then blushing furiously after Clementine called her beautiful.

She traced the shape of Violet’s smile with her fingers, smiling softly. It was a good picture. Violet looked relaxed, for once, and happy – something she only seemed to be around her friends. Clementine’s stomach lurched uncomfortably at the thought of her trapped alone in her house with her parents, but she pushed the feeling aside. Violet had told her she was fine, and she tended not to lie, anymore.

They’d last seen each other in school on Friday, but Clementine missed her. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her – she’d become the type of person to make mix tapes of love songs to listen to, just because they reminded her of Violet.

There was a sudden sound that pulled Clementine from her thoughts. She turned her head to the left, and frowned as she saw Violet crouched behind her window, rapping her knuckles on the pane to get Clementine’s attention.

She flipped the sketchbook closed and moved to pull the window open. “Vi? What are you doing here, it’s raining like crazy.”

Violet was drenched. She slipped in through the open window and sniffled, brushing wet strands of hair away from her face. “What, I can’t come and visit my girl?” She asked, and shot Clementine a blinding smile. “I missed you, and my parents took off for the night. I take what I can get.”

Clementine closed the window, ignoring the way her heart did flips at being called Violet’s girl. Violet had an annoying habit of making her feel fluffy. “Couldn’t take an umbrella, at least? You’ll get a cold. _Again_.”

Violet shrugged. “I was in a rush. I don’t know when they’ll get back, sometime after midnight I think.”

The clock on the wall showed it was pushing 9:30. Clementine eyed Violet critically, her mouth pulling into a disapproving line. “You can borrow my clothes,” she decided. “And you’ll take a shower. But we gotta be quiet – my dad’s downstairs.”

Violet’s smile deepened. “Sneaking around?” She asked, her tone verging on teasing. “Gee, Clem, I guess my parents should be worried about me corrupting you, and not the other way around.”

Clementine smacked her shoulder gently with a roll of her eyes, before pushing past her to get to her closet. “I guess we have to settle that someday,” she said as she opened the doors and began shifting through her shirts. “Who corrupted who. I still think it was actually Louis.”

She heard Violet snort. “Yeah, I’d be inclined to agree with that. _Come on, Vi, don’t you think she looks really cute with her baseball clothes on? Isn’t that hat adorable? Wow, look at that batting average, she’s like Babe fucking Ruth–”_

Clementine bit her lip to suppress her smile. She took a blue flannel shirt from its hanger, and tilted her head, considerate. “So, when you’re watching my games, all you two talk about is how hot I am?”

“Nah,” Violet said. “Sometimes, we also talk about how hot everyone else is.”

Clementine snatched a pair of sweatpants and turned around, lifting a brow. “Should I be jealous?”

“It’s mostly Louis,” Violet assured her. Her mouth pulled into a crooked grin. “He likes to make a lot of comments, you know.”

Clementine shoved the pile of clothes to Violet’s hands. “He makes lots of comments about everything,” she said. “I didn’t think baseball players would be any exception.” She glanced at her door, pausing to listen. “The TV’s on, which is good. We’ll need to just get to the bathroom and back. That’s doable.”

Violet pouted. “You have the agility of a sport’s player,” she complained. “I’m about as sneaky and graceful as a fucking plank.”

“You’ll be good,” Clementine said. “Just… be quiet.”

“ _Just be quiet_ ,” Violet muttered under her breath. “In my fucking dreams.”

Clementine cracked her door open, and pushed her head through, glancing left and right. The hallway was empty. She slipped out, gesturing for Violet to follow behind. They tip-toed over to the bathroom, tensing each time the floor creaked louder than it should’ve or her dad coughed.

The bathroom was at the end of the hallway. Clementine let Violet go in first, and then followed in suit, closing the door.

“Okay,” she breathed out. “Now, I’ll be sitting here, and you’ll get out of those clothes before you catch pneumonia. That sound good to you?”

“Sure,” Violet agreed, amused. “Turn around while I get in?”

Clementine turned her back to the shower, crossing her arms. She heard shuffling, and then a swooshing sound as Violet pulled the shower curtain on. As the water started running, Clementine slumped down on the floor, pulling her knees up.

She felt giddy. She felt ridiculous. Violet had walked all the way over from her house, in this rain, just to spend a few hours with Clementine. She’d have to walk the same distance back, too, and she was willing to do it for her.

Clementine leaned her forehead against her knees, grinning. It wasn’t that bad, being Violet’s girlfriend. It wasn’t bad at all.

The water stopped, and Violet called on her to turn around again. Clementine closed her eyes. After a minute or so, Violet cleared her throat nervously. “Be honest – how stupid do I look in these?”

Clementine looked, and felt her throat go dry. Violet had her arms crossed defensively as she shifted weight from foot to foot, looking down at the floor. She’d sleeked her hair back, but a few pale strands escaped. The shirt was too big around the shoulders, and she’d had to roll the hems of the pants over once, but here she was, standing in Clementine’s bathroom, wearing her clothes, and Clementine had never seen anyone look better than that.

“You...” She started, then stopped to clear her throat. “They fit you.”

Violet glanced up at her, biting her lip. “Really?”

Clementine nodded weakly. “Really.” She stood up, and walked up to Violet, loosely wrapping her arms around her shoulders. “You need to borrow my stuff more often,” she said, and leaned closer to press a kiss against Violet’s. “And now, we have to sneak back.”

Violet groaned, tilting her head back. “You already said your parents are probably fine with it,” she pointed out. “ _Why_ are we sneaking around like teenagers?”

“We are teenagers,” Clementine said, laughing. “And because I’m under house arrest, and shouldn’t be seeing you for another few weeks.”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Fine. But after your dumb house arrest is over, I’ll be here every day, making small talk with your parents like it’s my fucking job.”

“Mhm,” Clementine said, “and I’m sure they’ll love you, but right now, they don’t, because they need to adjust to things, and so, we need to sneak around. Come on.”

They made their way back to Clementine’s room. She only breathed easily once her door was safely closed. As she turned around, Violet was there, stepping easily into her space and leaning closer to kiss her, like she’d done so many times before. Clementine felt the door press against her back as she placed her hands on Violet’s waist, pulling her closer.

“Missed you,” Violet whispered, and Clementine could feel her breath on her lips.

“Ditto,” she mumbled, and leaned in for another kiss.

Violet smelled like the shampoo she always used, and like fresh air, and her fingers were cold where they were cradling Clementine’s jaw like she was the most precious thing there was. It felt good, and it felt right, and it felt like something she wanted around for forever and longer, and…

“Violet,” she said, and there was something in her tone that she didn’t even recognize herself.

“Clem,” Violet replied, smiling a little. “What is it?”

“Don’t freak out,” Clementine started, feeling her heart thud against her rib cage. “But I think I love you.”

There was a long silence. Violet stared at Clementine with an indecipherable expression, but she didn’t make a move to step away, or let go of her. Then, she let out a soft “oh”, and pressed her forehead against Clementine’s.

“Is this you freaking out?” Clementine asked quietly.

“No,” Violet said. “This is me trying to understand how I could ever get so fucking lucky.” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “Clem, I don’t… I’m not used to my life working out. And right now, life is dealing me some pretty good fucking cards, and I don’t – I don’t want to lose.”

“You’re not losing,” Clementine said softly. She moved so that they were hugging, Violet’s nose buried in the crook of her neck. “You have me. I love you. I’m not going anywhere. It’s okay.”

And when Violet mumbled “I love you, too,” against her skin, Clementine really couldn’t understand how she’d gotten so lucky, either.


End file.
